Pittsburgh residents want to adopt “gang turf” mailbox

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pittsburgh City Councilman who represents a neighborhood wracked by gang violence wants the U.S. Postal Service to let his constituents repaint a graffiti covered mailbox.

How will that solve the gang problem? Councilman Bruce Kraus says it will help the North Side residents take control of their neighborhood.

A mail carrier was shot in the hand March 26 when two men tried to rob him. The mailbox near the shooting remains covered in graffiti. Resident Bill Buettin, who lives across the street, says letting the graffiti stay sends a silent message that the gangs — not the residents — control the area.

A Postal Service spokesman says it is a federal crime for anyone but government maintenance workers to repaint the box.